No Such Thing
by Afrika1995
Summary: Harry has a one-night stand and suddenly his world is falling apart. But Draco Malfoy and his cousin, Rowan, are determined to help him, even if Ron won't. Rated M for some graphic language and sex scenes.
1. Chapter 1

No Such Thing  
>as Regrets<p>

Chapter One

It was getting cold for the beginning of November. Harry Potter and his friends chatted merrily as they walked into Hogsmead on a chilly late afternoon. A crisp wind blew through the small town and the small group of students shuddered as they hurried to Honeydukes candy store.  
>"It's bloody freezing," Ron scowled as he held the door open for Harry and Hermione. The warm air of the candy store was soothing to their ruddy cheeks. Hermione rubbed her hands together as Harry ogled eagerly at the rows of tempting sweets that lined the store. She turned to say something to the redhead but caught him glaring across the street while still holding the door open. She followed his gaze and spotted a speck of blonde across the street.<br>"Ron?" Harry asked. "What're you looking at mate?"  
>"Nothing," Ron muttered. He closed the door and joined his friends, forcing a grin. Hermione pursed her lips. <em>What has gotten into him lately<em>, she thought.  
>"Oi! Harry! Ron!" someone called.<br>The trio turned and saw Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom appear from around a tower of chocolate frogs and licorice wands, the first grinning cockily. Neville blushed at Hermione.  
>"Hello Neville," Hermione said and smiled warmly.<br>"Oh….hey Hermione."  
>Harry grinned back at Seamus. "What're you so happy about?" he asked.<br>The blonde Irishman grinned even wider, and his blue eyes darted toward Dean for a moment.  
>"Dude, don't," Dean pleaded.<br>"What?" Ron and Hermione asked at the same time.  
>Seamus looked back at them. "I am victorious," he declared triumphantly.<p>

"Why are we here?" Pansy Parkinson whined.  
>"To get a butter beer," Draco Malfoy told her yet again with a sigh.<br>"But I wanted to go to Zonko's!" she pouted.  
>"Oh shut up Pansy," Blaise Zabini hissed, "and drink your damn beer."<br>The three of them were sitting in a booth at the Three Broomsticks, waiting for Draco's cousin Rowan to bring them their drinks. The other blonde soon appeared, balancing a tray of mugs in her left hand while her other hand gripped her heavy coat.  
>"Thanks Rowan," Draco said quietly. She put a mug in front of each of them and then took a seat next to Draco, across from Blaise and Pansy. Sitting side by side, the other two Slytherins could see the resemblance between the Malfoy cousins, but there were too many differences in them otherwise to recognize them for what they were. They had the same blue eyes and fair complexion, but Rowan was slightly darker. And while Draco was rather skinny and slender, Rowan was busty with curves and a heavy-set body type. She had longer, darker blonde hair and she smiled in a different way from Draco. Her smile contained more than the knowledge she could get from books. Rowan also exuded calculated confidence that took many boys, and a select few girls, by storm. She knew she was beautiful and flaunted it frequently.<br>Rowan took a sip of her butter beer, grimaced, and let her eyes wander aimlessly. Her eyes stopped and narrowed slightly.  
>Pansy turned in her seat and saw Dirk Smith sitting in the corner of the room, smirking unabashedly. He winked cockily at Rowan.<br>Pansy whirled around with a gasp. "Rowan, don't! He's bad news!"  
>" A one-fuck-wonder I heard," Rowan said smoothly. She looked away with little interest and took another sip of her butter beer.<br>"Speaking of fucking," Blaise smirked, "I heard some of the upperclassmen are conducting a competition."  
>"Let me guess: who can fuck the most people in about two weeks right?" Draco drawled. His nose wrinkled slightly in disgust.<br>Blaise shook his head. "_One._"  
>"One what?" Pansy asked.<br>"One week," Blaise clarified.  
>Rowan, who had been about to take another drink from her mug, lowered it slowly. The look on her face was one of mild horror.<br>"You've got to be kidding me."  
>"Nope. I heard Smith's crew initiated it. They're calling it the Royal Fuck Competition."<br>Draco sneered. "How witty."  
>"<em>Dirk<em> Smith?" Rowan asked.  
>"Yep," Blaise frowned.<br>Pansy covered her mouth with her hands. "That's just horrible!" she cried.  
>"Not if both parties are willing," Draco pointed out. "Then they're both just as responsible."<br>Rowan was unusually quiet. She drank her butter beer silently and kept her eyes trained on the wood table.  
>Draco frowned.<br>"Oh yeah, by the way, what's going on with you and Weasley?" Blaise inquired.  
>Draco's brow furrowed. "Me?"<br>Blaise rolled his eyes. "Obviously."  
>"Nothing, why?"<br>Pansy giggled. "You hadn't noticed?"  
>"Noticed what?" Draco snapped.<br>"Him staring at you! I've caught him at least twenty times!" Pansy exclaimed.  
>Rowan finally looked up, a smile tugging up the corners of her mouth. "Really? Twenty?"<br>Now it was Pansy's turn to roll her eyes. "I've seen him doing it a lot, alright? No need to get so technical, Ro."  
>"Alright, alright!" Rowan chuckled, putting her palms in the air.<p>

"How are you victorious?" Hermione asked incredulously.  
>Neville blushed again.<br>"Dude, seriously," Dean warned again.  
>Seamus ignored him. "I found out who Dean likes."<br>Dean groaned while Hermione giggled.  
>"Who?" Harry asked with a mischievous smile.<br>"Oh I can't tell you that," Seamus said airily, but there was an excited glint in his eye.  
>"Aw come on Seamus!" Ron exclaimed.<br>Dean was trying unsuccessfully to appear nonchalant about the whole thing, but his clenched fists gave him away.  
>"No, I wouldn't do that," Seamus said softly, his blue eyes searching Dean's chocolate brown ones.<br>"Really?" Dean snarled. " 'Cause you could have fooled me." And with that the Gryffindor boy stormed out of the candy store.  
>"Dean! Hey, man, it was a joke!" Seamus called and darted out after him.<br>Hermione followed them with her eyes worriedly, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. "He shouldn't have said anything," she finally decided.  
>"Lighten up Hermione. It was a joke," Ron said angrily.<br>At Hermione's shocked look, Harry joined in: "Ron, what's wrong with you? Calm down," he said.  
>"Whatever," Ron grumbled and pushed past the others to a deeper part of the store. The other three watched him stalk off.<br>Neville gave Harry and Hermione a weak smile. "I think it was just hard for Dean to accept that he likes this girl. She seems nice to me though."  
>Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll go get Ron and we can head over to the Three Broomsticks and grab a butter beer or something."<p>

The four Slytherins' beer glasses were getting low. Blaise was leaning back in his chair lazily, inspecting his perfectly manicured nails while Pansy listened attentively to Draco's Quidditch plans for next week's practice. Rowan yawned. She checked her watch.  
>"Guys, remind me to-," she began.<br>"Hey there," said a deep voice.  
>Pansy and Blaise turned around, seeing the tall, well-built figure of Dirk Smith standing just behind them. He leaned forward and rested one hand on the table as the other rested on his hip. His dark brown hair flopped into his equally dark brown eyes. His smile, while charming, seemed just a little too calculating.<br>"Hello," Rowan said coolly. It was apparent that she was mildly annoyed at his presence and her having been interrupted.  
>"Are you doing anything later?"<br>The blonde's eyes narrowed perceptibly. "You're very forward, aren't you?"  
>He smiled cockily. "When I see something I want."<br>"_Unfortunately_, I'm busy."  
>"Can you change your plans?" Dirk asked smoothly. He said it in such a way that it was obvious he was expecting her to comply.<br>"Sorry, no."  
>His eyebrows scrunched together, a dead giveaway to his surprise. "What're you doing?" he asked, his voice a mixture of suspicion and genuine disbelief.<br>At first, the other Slytherins thought Rowan was going to respond with something like "none of your business", but it soon became apparent that she was thinking about her answer. Her normally warm eyes became cold as they raked Dirk up and down quickly.  
>"Oh, I don't know," she finally responded. "Hmm….drowning puppies…. Hanging out with Peeves… defacing school property… massacring first years, studying: basically anything, and everything, other than going on a date with you."<br>Blaise's eyes widened; Draco choked on his swig of butter beer, and Pansy's jaw dropped open; but Dirk's reaction was the best. He was extraordinarily slow for a Ravenclaw and it took him a while to understand the meaning of her words. When he did, his face turned an interesting cocktail of reds and purples of rage. He opened his mouth to say something, but Rowan cut him off.  
>"Judging by the hotel room key jutting out of your pocket-," Dirk's hand went to pat his pocket, and sure enough, a hotel key was sticking out. He colored further-, "you are partaking in the "fuck contest". I will take no part in that contest, or have anything to do with you or any of your friends. So please leave."<br>Dirk gave her a final black glare but his swagger was off. Rowan, in turn, seemed deathly still. She watched Dirk walk away, headed toward the door. The door opened and the bushy hair of Hermione Granger walked in, followed by a flushed Ronald Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Harry Potter.  
>Pansy gushed, "Oh my gawd, that was awesome! You seriously told him! He'll think twice about trying that on you again!"<br>"Yeah…." Rowan trailed off. Her eyes were studying the party to just enter the bar.  
>Pansy turned around again to see what had caught Rowan's attention. She smirked.<br>"Oooh, it's Ron, Draco," she smiled devilishly. And then winked.  
>Blaise looked at her. "Since when did you start calling Weasley "Ron"?"<br>Pansy just shrugged.  
>Rowan looked at her watch. "I need to head over to the cloak store."<br>"We can go look at dresses too!" Pansy shrieked. Several heads turned in her direction, including the group of Gryffindors by the door.  
>Pansy's friends looked at her blankly.<br>"Dresses for what?" Blaise snorted. Draco glanced at Rowan to see if she knew what the other girl was talking about, but Rowan just shrugged her shoulders.  
>"Honestly, you guys-,"<br>"You sound like Granger," Draco interrupted.  
>"As I was saying," Pansy asserted with a glare, "there's another Yule Ball being held this year, the Friday before we go on break. I want us all to go together."<br>"We always do that, you dolt," Blaise sniffed.  
>"Yeah, but this year I want us to bring dates."<br>Just as Blaise was about to lean forward to ask Rowan if she wanted to go with him, Pansy added, "And we can't choose each other."  
>Blaise scowled at the brunette and reluctantly sat back, folding his arms moodily. Rowan laid her head back wearily, her blonde tresses falling over the back of her straight chair.<br>"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered.  
>"What?" Pansy demanded. She sounded a little hurt.<br>"I don't date," Rowan told her pointedly.  
>"Go with Dean Thomas," Blaise suggested, suddenly unfolding his arms and looking excited. The others looked at him as if he were insane.<br>"Or there's that seventh-year Hufflepuff. He's pretty cute," Blaise continued. At Rowan's unhappy glare, he said, "Hey, I'd go with you, but you know Pansy would kill us both….."  
>"I think it's a great idea!" Pansy trilled.<br>"Yeah, yeah, we all know you love your ball idea about the dates," Rowan said, sounding tired. "Let's go to the cloak store and then we can go look at dresses."  
>Pansy looked confused, but followed suit as Rowan and Draco stood and headed for the door.<br>"What's wrong?" Blaise asked.  
>"I wasn't….. I wasn't talking about the date idea."<br>"What _were_ you talking about?"  
>"Dean Thomas."<p>

When Rowan got outside, she immediately noticed Dirk Smith standing a few yards away conversing with Mike Truce. They were both Ravenclaws, and best friends; but while Dirk was straight, Mike was openly gay. It was also a known fact that Mike was promiscuous and had slept with almost every gay boy in Hogwarts, no matter what year. The only ones he avoided were the Slytherins and any boys under their fifth year. On the surface Mike seemed like a nice, caring guy, but Rowan classified him as a predator in that moment. It was apparent Mike was taking part in the "fuck challenge" by the look on his face, and his eyes carried a bitter chill to them instead of their normal vibrant warmth. As Rowan watched them, she saw Dirk reach into his pocket and hand something to Mike.  
>Rowan hesitated by the door of the Three Broomsticks. Draco came out and ran right into her, pushing her down. An airy gasp left her lips as she went down, thankful of her extra pounds and large arse as she collided with the cobble stone, scraping her palms.<br>"Merlin, Rowan are you okay?" Draco demanded, flustered, as he knelt beside her.  
>"Couldn't keep your eyes off me, eh Rowan?" Dirk called.<br>"Go to hell," Blaise snarled as he joined the others outside, Pansy at his heels.  
>"I'm fine," Rowan muttered, picking herself up off the ground with Draco's cold hand on her elbow.<br>Her cousin immediately noticed something was off with her.  
>"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.<br>"Nothing," she lied, and proceeded to dust herself off.  
>"Hey, you alright?"<br>Rowan's head snapped up, a flush creeping up her neck and onto her plump cheeks when she saw Mike standing before her, concern written all over his face. Her blue eyes darted past him for a second and saw Dirk walking in the other direction back to the castle.  
>"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks," Rowan said hastily.<br>"Okay. Well, I'll see you 'round." Mike smiled and then headed into the Three Broomsticks, giving a quick wave before disappearing into the tavern.  
>"You sure you're okay?" Blaise asked.<br>Rowan nodded. "Fine."  
>"Come on guys, let's go SHAAAAAAAAWPIIIIIIIIING!" Pansy sang, grabbing Blaise's and Rowan's hand and tugging them away from the Three Broomsticks, the latter giving a little wince. Draco shook his head, a light smile playing on his lips, and followed them.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

No Such Thing 

A/N: Hey everybody. Sorry about the first chapter being such a wreck. I've reformatted this chapter so hopefully it'll be a little easier to read.  
>Enjoy! :]<p>

Chapter Two

Harry couldn't stop looking at Ron. He studied his best friend's features with a sort of sadness,

trying to figure out how to tell his mate his biggest secret. Harry had found out he was gay the

summer before, in their fifth year, and had not yet told Ron or Hermione. Or any of the members

of the Order, for that matter. Harry admitted to himself that he had only told Seamus because

the Irishman himself was gay too. And well, Neville…. _But really,_ Harry thought, _if you can't trust _

_Neville, who can you trust?_

But there was no excuse for telling Dean other than he just happened to be there. Harry would

much rather have told Ron instead of Dean, or Seamus or Neville, but he just couldn't bring

himself to do it. Sitting at the bar in the Three Broomsticks, Harry desperately wanted to just

blurt it out. If he said it quickly, maybe it wouldn't scare him as much.

Hermione was studying him. Harry dropped his gaze and quickly took a drink of his butter beer.

He felt ashamed for not telling Hermione about his homosexuality either, but he was truly afraid

of what their reactions would be. He wasn't upset that he was gay: he embraced it. Or at least he

thought he did.  
><em><br>If you're "so okay" with it, then how come you can't tell your two best friends,_ a voice nagged in the back of

Harry's mind. 

"Harry?" Neville whispered. "Are you okay?" 

The brunette looked at the other Gryffindor. He forced a lopsided grin. "Yeah. Of course." 

"Okay…." Neville said doubtfully. 

Harry felt a presence behind him. He turned around in his stool and saw Mike Truce staring

down at him intently. Harry's heart gave a little flip. Mike Truce was the biggest heartthrob in

the Ravenclaw House and it was easy to see why. He had light brown hair and dark blue eyes,

and a breathtaking smile. The same breathtaking smile he showered upon Harry at that

moment.

"Hey, Potter. Mind if I join you guys?" Mike asked. He winked. "I don't like to drink alone," he

confessed.

"Um, sure," Harry stuttered. He shot a grateful glance at Neville as the boy scooted over one seat,

offering his old seat to Mike. Mike sat down gracefully and immediately faced Harry.

Uncomfortable under Mike's knowing stare, Harry blushed.

"So, um, you come here often?" he attempted.

Mike laughed softly. "Oh every once in a while. You?"

"Yeah," Harry muttered. He felt like an idiot.

Mike didn't seem to mind. He leaned in a little closer to Harry, who was pretty sure his heart

stopped beating in that instant. The older boy's breath tickled his face. "Hey, listen, there's this

new place that opened up on the other side of town," Mike said quietly, placing a business card

in Harry's hand.

Mike's hand lingered for a second too long. Harry swallowed, his heart fluttering like a

humming bird.

"What, uh, what kind of place?" he finally asked.

Before Mike could answer, Hermione butted in.

"Harry," she said, her eyes flickering briefly in Mike's direction, "Ron and I need to get back to

the castle soon for Prefect duty tonight."

"Okay," Harry said quickly, hoping she'd go back to her stool on the other side of Ron. Couldn't

she tell he was having the most important conversation of his life?

Hermione faltered. "Well, I guess you could stay here if you want…"

"No, that's okay, I've got to get going too," Mike said, standing. Harry's heart screamed in

disappointment.

"I've got a big project to start working on," Mike continued. He smiled down at Harry. "Anyway,

Harry, I was planning on hitting up that place I was telling you about next weekend." Mike

faced the others, with Ron even looking up from the puzzle Hermione had handed him when

they had come in. "You guys are invited to come along too."

Harry really wished he had gotten to spend more time with Mike. But as Mike leaned forward to

pay the bartender, he whispered in Harry's ear: "Or _you_ could just come, and it'd be the two of

us, Harry."

Harry felt liquid fire surge his spine at those words. Did Mike mean what he thought he did…..?

Before Harry could ask, Mike straightened back up, smiling at everyone.

"It was nice to see you guys," Mike called over his shoulder as he headed out the door.

Hermione frowned. "Well that was nice of him to invite us…." she said doubtfully.

"What's that in your hand, Harry?" Neville asked, pointing at Harry's clenched fist.

Startled from his reprieve, Harry uncurled his hand and held up the crumpled business card.

"The White Rabbit," Hermione read. "Are they referring to Alice and Wonderland?"

"Who?" Ron asked, peering over Hermione's shoulder to read the name.

"I thought it might be referring to a Muggle magic show. You know, the part when the magician

pulls the rabbit out of the hat?" Neville offered.

"Yeah," Harry said mechanically. He couldn't believe one of the hottest guys at school, who was

also openly gay, had invited him to….well, whatever The White Rabbit was anyway.

Panic gripped Harry. What if people saw him and Mike together and figured it out? Harry

hadn't even told Ron and Hermione about him being gay yet. He didn't think he could deal with

the whole school knowing before his best friends did. Or Sirius, even.

"It says here that The White Rabbit is a dance club for people of all ages," Hermione told the

group. "It seems its opening night was last night."

"That must have been why half of the seventh years were gone," Ron concluded. "Where is the

club?"

"On the other side of town. It's not as far as the Hog's Head, but it's pretty far," Hermione said.

Harry felt hopeful. If it was a ways away from Hogwarts, maybe he could go to the club with

Mike without being seen. But hadn't Ron said that students had already been at the club? That

meant that students already knew about it, which meant….

Harry cursed under his breath. Really, fate just seemed out to get him.

The four Gryffindors finished their butter beers and quickly left the Three Broomsticks.

Hermione noticed that Ron seemed excited about the prospect of attending the White Rabbit,

although she wasn't convinced going to the club would be the best idea. And she refused to

admit that part of her reluctance to go was that she couldn't dance. Whatsoever. She knew she

would die of embarrassment if anyone from school, or even her friends, saw her fail so miserably.

She didn't even want to contemplate the way people would laugh at her.

Neville had hung back from the group a little. Harry, sensing Neville wanted to talk, put some

distance between them and Ron and Hermione, who were trudging back along the path to the

castle.

"What's up?" Harry asked his friend quietly.

"I was just wondering how you…er, how you were holding up I guess," Neville stammered. A

faint blush dotted his cheeks.

"I'm good Neville. Don't worry," Harry said. He smiled and clapped the other boy on the back.

"I saw how Mike Truce was looking at you in the bar."

Now it was Harry's turn to blush. "What do you mean?" he asked quickly.

"Just…. I don't know. You know how Mike….well, how he sleeps around. I just don't want you to

get hurt."

Harry was touched by Neville's concern, but he was far from being put off from the idea of going

to the club with Mike. And if Mike wanted to have sex….. Harry refused to think about that,

because he already knew what he'd do if Mike asked.

"I hope Seamus made up with Dean," Neville said, changing the subject. It was obvious the poor

boy felt uncomfortable.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You know those two. They're probably already back at Hogwarts, playing

chess or something."

Neville nodded his agreement. He started talking again, but Harry wasn't really listening. He

was thinking about Mike again. Just thinking about the seventh year made him excited. And to

think Mike was interested in him! Harry, of all people! Harry didn't think highly of himself in the

looks department. He was decent, but not the drop-dead gorgeous that Mike Truce was. Or

Draco Malfoy, even. And Blaise Zabini….. Sirius wasn't too bad looking either….

Meanwhile, back in Hogsmead:

Rowan was about ready to pull her hair out. If Pansy had been mildly insufferable before, she

was damn near infuriating. She flew around the dress store, pulling dresses haphazardly off the

racks and threw them in Blaise's general direction. Blaise tried catching them all, but soon Draco

had to step in and help his friend carry the tremendous load.

Rowan watched all this with a twitching eye that was showcasing her irritation. She had a

headache pounding behind her left eye, and she suspected it was because of her impromptu fall

outside the Three Broomsticks.

What irritated her more was when Pansy shoved the boys off to the dressing room with all _her_

dresses. Which meant that she hadn't even _started_ picking out Rowan's potential dress.

"Pansy-," Rowan tried, massaging the bridge of her nose.

"We need to find a dress that accentuates your curves," Pansy said, ignoring the blonde. "And

you have nice legs…. Draco told me when you first came to live with him you were as pale as

snow."

"And as big as an elephant with small boobs," Rowan added dryly.

Pansy frowned at her reproachfully. "I'm sure that's not true…."

Rowan threw her hands up in the air. "Pansy, it's a simple fact that I used to be fat! Whatever,

just hurry up so we can get out of here. Don't you and Draco have Prefect duty tonight?"

"Not until later. The Gryffindors have the first shift," Pansy said brightly as she began to paw

through the selection of dresses before her. "Hmmmm…. Do you think you'd look good in red?"

"My mom did, if that means anything," Rowan replied. She peered around a rack of dresses in an

attempt to see Draco and Blaise. She didn't know what she'd do if she did see them. Probably

beg for help.

"Rowan, what're you doing?" Pansy pouted.

"Planning my escape route," Rowan answered. She gasped as she was sharply hit over the head.

"Ow!" she howled. "What was that for?"

"Go try these on," Pansy ordered, ignoring her friend's question and thrusting a pile of fabric into

her arms.

Rowan obediently went to the dressing room, grumbling the whole way. Pansy just rolled her

eyes and returned to her search of the store.

"There's a familiar face!" Blaise called cheerily as Rowan entered the dressing room section of the

store.

"Hey," she grinned, then winced as the throbbing behind her eye spiked painfully.

"So, let me see what you've got here," Blaise said. He rifled through the dresses weighing down

the blonde's thick arms. Draco soon joined him.

"Ew. Is this silk?" Draco snorted. "I can't even _imagine_ you wearing silk…."

"Or satin," Blaise agreed.

"Or something with a straight body."

"Or _this,_" Blaise said, abhorred as he pulled a full-length ball gown out of the pile. It was a pretty

lavender color, but he was right in assuming that Rowan would never wear it. It was too long

and sophisticated.

"Hey!" Rowan snapped. She took the ball gown back. "And I might wear satin or silk, or

whatever else you think I won't. It all depends on the style of dress. Duh. Sometimes you guys

are such _dolts._"

"You say that a lot," Draco smirked.

"Shut up."

Rowan sneered at both boys before heading into a dressing room stall and slamming the door.

Blaise and Draco tried, and failed, to muffle their laughter.

Before Rowan even got the first dress on, Pansy entered the dressing room with even more

dresses for herself to try on.

"Where'd you put the others?" she asked.

Blaise pointed to the stall next to Rowan's.

"Hi Rowan!" Pansy called as she entered her dressing stall. They all could hear Rowan's

surprised "eep" and burst out laughing again. 

Harry entered the common room, shaking water out of his soaked hair. Hermione ran over to the

girls' dormitory to change out of her wet clothes before she started her rounds of the school. It

had started pouring on their walk back from Hogsmead and everyone was dripping wet. Neville

was hurriedly taking off his cloak before he even got to his dorm, and Ron was carrying both of

his shoes.

Sitting by the fire were Seamus and Dean, predictably playing Wizard's Chess to pass the time.

Seamus grinned and winked at Harry as he came closer.

"Oi, Harry, you look a little wet, mate."

"Really, Seamus? I hadn't noticed," Harry said sarcastically. He headed over to the staircase

leading to his dormitory, following Ron and Neville up the stairs. Once in the room, Harry

quickly undressed and threw himself down on his bed. He was exhausted. The mere thought

that Mike Truce might be interested in him was enough to tire him out.

Ron and Neville talked quietly as they too get undressed, and Harry smiled to himself as he

drifted off to sleep. He'd figure out what to do about coming out to Ron later.


	3. Chapter 3

No Such Thing

Chapter Three

Harry spent the next week leading up to his "highly anticipated" plans with Mike Truce

trying to figure out a way to come out to Ron and Hermione. But every time he would open his

mouth to tell them, he would chicken out. On Wednesday he nearly blurted it out; but Ginny

had chosen that exact moment to inform Hermione that there were some fourth year girls

fighting in their dormitory.

Merlin, couldn't these girls have better timing? 

So it was by Friday that Harry believed he had run out of options. During that single

week he had seen Mike Truce in the hallways much more often, always accompanied by Dirk

Smith. And whenever Harry and Mike made eye contact, the latter would smile and the

Gryffindor would be left speechless. 

Seamus, the damn know-it-all, immediately caught on to Mike and Harry's….whatever

you could call it. Harry wasn't sure he was ready for people, even Seamus, to know about his

crush on Mike. That was private. It was like Mike was Harry's dirty little secret, something so

precious that he didn't want to share it with anyone else. 

Rowan knew how he felt. Just for an entirely different reason. 

It was Thursday night around midnight when Rowan's blue eyes snapped open. In the

silence of the night she could hear her ragged breathing. A frown turned down her pale, thin lips.

Rowan pulled herself up into a sitting position and listened carefully to the other girls' breathing

in her dormitory. When she was certain none of them were awake, she carefully climbed out of

bed. She threw on her "Russia" inscribed sweat jacket and left the dormitory silently. She

padded down the hall to the common room, peeking her head in, flinching when she realized she

wasn't alone. It wasn't often Professor Snape graced the Slytherin House with his presence and

Rowan wished he hadn't chosen that night of all nights to make his appearance.

Snape's eyes looked up from the newspaper he was reading, eyebrows rising slightly in surprise.

"Rowan," he said quietly.

_Damn you, _Rowan thought, gritting her teeth. "Hello Professor," she said nervously.

"What are you doing up this late?" Snape asked, folding his newspaper slowly.

Rowan didn't want to answer at first. She tried to stall by putting her long blonde hair into a

ponytail, but Snape waited patiently for her to finish. His face was blank, yet curious, and gazed

at her relentlessly.

So without a word, Rowan spun around and headed back to her room. She'd rather be in a dark,

cold, lonely bed than talk to Snape, of all people. Rowan hadn't liked him when she first met

him, and she certainly hadn't trusted him. So why would she start trusting him now? A part of

her felt bad when she left him sitting there, obviously concerned about her, but her residual

discomfort from her whole _situation_ still lingered.

_Don't shoot the messenger_, Rowan's inner voice taunted.

Harry was excited. It was finally Friday. He couldn't wait to go to The White Rabbit with Mike.

But as the night rolled to a close, Harry began to doubt himself. Was Mike going to owl him? Or

was he already at the White Rabbit, sitting by himself at a booth, waiting for Harry? Seamus did

his best to reassure Harry that, one, Mike would have told him if he was planning on going to

the club; and two, even if Mike _was_ at the White Rabbit, there was no way he was alone.

Somehow, that answer didn't make Harry feel any better.

But right before he went to bed on Friday night, an owl tapped outside his bedroom window.

Harry rushed over to it and let the owl in, who quickly dropped the letter on Harry's bed and

soared out the window before Harry could close it. His heart beat in his chest as he gently

latched the window shut and crossed the room to his bed. The letter was simply packaged, with

only "Harry Potter" scrawled on the front. Harry picked up the piece of paper with trembling,

excited fingers. He opened it and eagerly read it.

_Harry_, the letter read,

_I'm heading to the White Rabbit tomorrow night and was wondering if you wanted to go. I'm going with a group, _

_and we're all meeting in the entrance hall at 6. Send me your answer via owl soon. I'd love it if you could go._

_Sincerely,_

_Mike_

_P.S.: I'd also love it if you came alone._

Harry felt like jumping with joy. Seamus had been right: Mike was still definitely interested.

Harry quickly scribbled a reply and attached it to Hedwig's leg. He watched her fly out the

window, a big grin on his face. In that moment Harry forgot all his worries about still being in

the closet. He knew that if he had Mike by his side through all of it, he'd be just fine. They'd

become a couple, and he'd help Harry with coming out. They'd go steady through their last years

at Hogwarts and, then even after they both graduated. They'd get married, maybe, and maybe

get a house together and, maybe, _maybe_, have kids.

Harry had it all planned out and it all seemed so perfect. A large smile split his face into two as

he put the letter in the top drawer of his nightstand and crawled into bed. He was the only one

in the dormitory, but he could hear someone climbing the stairs to his room. Harry closed

his eyes contentedly and listened to Neville and Dean chatter quietly as they came inside. Harry

had never felt happier. 

The next morning Harry was chipper and whistled as he took a shower. Dean cocked his

eyebrows at him, and Seamus just smirked in a knowing way when Harry emerged from the

bathroom.

Rowan, in stark contrast, was like walking death. Since she had begun to live with the Malfoys

she had worn less and less black, but had saved a few baggy sweatpants and oversized T-shirts.

She donned these comforts and set about covering up the dark circles under her eyes. Rowan

was snippy through the day, even at Blaise, whom she was very fond of. She also avoided

thinking about Professor Snape. She felt a little guilty about blowing him off like she had, but

not enough to go apologize. She didn't trust him, and that was the simple fact. But then again, it

wasn't like Rowan trusted many people since the incident. That night had taught her a lot about

reading people. It had also started a domino effect of events that were unbelievably unrelated to

one another. But their outcomes were all the same. And those outcomes…..they were nightmares.

It was reaching the late afternoon when Pansy and Blaise decided to have an intervention, for

Rowan's sake. The blonde was sitting in the library getting ahead on some Transfiguration

homework, when the two Slytherins took one arm each and hauled her upward. Rowan gave a

rather girlish yelp.

"What the bloody hell?" she screeched.

"Calm down Rowan," Blaise said. He rolled his eyes.

"Guys, I have to-,"

Pansy interrupted her: "You are coming with us. You are going to get into the best damn jeans

you own and put on a pair of boots and then we're going to march your ass down to Hogsmead

for some fun. You've been more reclusive than Snape all day. _Snape._ And that's _saying_ something.

You need to let loose for a bit,

girlie."

Rowan glared at her two friends as they triumphantly led her from the library, but stayed quiet,

and they ignored the exasperated looks from Madam Pince.

Harry looked his reflection over in the mirror. He was wearing his favorite pair of jeans that

were ripped at both knee caps and a plain white shirt. _Nothing special,_ Harry thought. He didn't

want to seem like he was overdoing it.

The door to the dorm room opened and Seamus stepped in. Seamus' hair was perfectly wavy

past his ears, and he was wearing an apple-green shirt with a pair of black skinny jeans and

shiny black boots even Adam Lambert would be jealous of. Seamus stopped in the doorway and

looked Harry over with a skeptical eye.

"You're not planning on wearing _that,_ are you?" he sniffed.

Harry tore his eyes away from Seamus. God, the boy looked sexy. "Er, why? What's wrong with

it?"

"You look like you're about to go grocery shopping at Wal-Mart," Seamus said.

"_Where?_" Harry asked.

"Never mind. Isn't there something else you can wear?" Seamus sighed.

Harry felt defensive. "These are my favorite pair of jeans. What's wrong with them?"

Seamus sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing the door behind him. "The jeans

are okay, I guess, just the ass…. Oh wait, I got it."

Seamus pulled his wand out of his back pocket and flicked it in Harry's direction. Harry half

expected to get set on fire, but gasped as he suddenly felt the fabric constrict around his arse.

"What'd you-," he began.

"Look in the mirror," Seamus answered.

Harry did as he was told, his eyes widening. His jeans were definitely tighter, accentuating

Harry's best parts and giving his arse an almost feminine look.

"And that shirt has got to go," Seamus continued. "D'you have any aversion to gold?"

"Uh, I don't think so….."

"Good. Otherwise you would've been pretty unhappy for the night."

Harry's shirt also constricted and gold bled through the fabric until it was a deep hazel. Seamus

strutted over and clasped a metal bracelet onto Harry's toned forearm, smirking as he did so.

"Well, Mr. Potter, I do believe you're going to get shagged tonight."

"Are you done in there yet?" Pansy called through the bathroom door. It was suddenly thrown

open and Rowan emerged. She was wearing a long, flowing burgundy shirt, her best ass-hugging

jeans, and thigh-high cowboy boots with rounded tips. Her long, luscious hair was up in a

ponytail that cascaded down her back in stylish waves.

Blaise, who was sitting upon Pansy's bed next to Draco in the girls' dormitory, sniffed the air.

"What smells like burnt hair?" he asked.

"It's called a curling iron," Rowan informed him. She stalked past the others to the full-length

mirror and inspected herself closely. A smile tugged up at the corners of her lips.

"You look aaaaaahmaaaazing," Pansy gushed.

Draco nodded, and Blaise whistled.

"Perfect for clubbing," Blaise said, smiling suggestively.

Rowan frowned. "Where are we going?"

"The White Rabbit," Draco said quietly. He seemed a little paler than usual.

"I heard Seamus was heading out tonight," Pansy teased Blaise.

Blaise snorted. "Yeah, right. I'd like to see _that_ Gryffindor get dressed up."

"Seamus is really cute," Rowan said. "He's sweet too. You'd be lucky to get him."

"I thought you only liked black guys?" Blaise sneered.

Rowan shrugged.

"We should get going," Draco said, sighing as he stood up.

Rowan nodded and everyone filed out of the room, Rowan last to leave. She glanced back into

the room before closing the door. She had a bad feeling in her stomach as she turned away and

followed after her friends.


	4. Chapter 4

No Such Thing

Chapter 4

A/N: Hey guys, just wanted to throw something your way: I have two other stories published, one for Harry Potter and the Ouran High School Host Club (a funny anime that I recommend watching. Don't worry it's in English, at least some of them.). However, while I recommend OHSHC, I DO NOT recommend reading the other two stories I have written. They will not be finished, ever, especially the Harry Potter one. I might, MIGHT being the operative word, redo and finish the other one, but I still wouldn't read either of them unless you wish to be disappointed by their unfinished-ness.  
>Also (yeah I know this AN goes on forever) sorry that I'm taking a while to post these chapters. Not only am I bombarded with homework (and bitchy-ass U.S History teachers) I'm busy making vids for YouTube and working on getting enough money to purchase my stepsister's going away present before she goes to Air Force boot camp (if she passes the ASVAB). So bear with me and I will have the next chapters posted as soon as possible.  
>Love ya to all my readers and PLEASE leave me some comments! I love to read them!<br>And just a heads up kiddies: the hot stuff's commin'!

_Music, sharp and upbeat. Gyrating bodies were all around, grasping at other bodies, grinding, sweating, moving _

_together as one. The dim light….smoke in the air…..the rancor smell of alcohol. Everywhere. Overwhelming. Stifling. _

_Choking, nauseating. She couldn't breathe. But she had purpose; she knew exactly where she was going, who she _

_wanted to find-  
><em>  
>"Rowan?" Pansy asked, her voice pulling Rowan back to reality.<p>

Rowan's blue eyes found Pansy's black ones. Concern shone in those dark orbs.

"You okay?" Pansy asked quietly, giving Rowan's arm a little squeeze. The girls were standing

just inside The White Rabbit's entryway with Draco and Blaise, staring at the dance floor.

Unlike the room in Rowan's memory, the atmosphere was different. Different music played and

the air was free of smoke and the smell of beer.

Rowan took a deep breath to calm herself. _Wasn't it what you wanted_, she asked herself. Now

she wasn't so sure.

The blonde smiled at her friend and touched Pansy's arm gently. "I'm fine. Don't worry 'bout it."

Pansy gave her a bright smile, and then stuck her tongue out at her. Rowan whacked her upside

the head and rolled her eyes.

Blaise leaned into their personal space and waggled his eyebrows. "You lovely ladies want to get

on the dance floor?"

"I need a drink," Rowan muttered. She looked over at her cousin. He seemed a little paler than

usual, even more so in the dim light. He also appeared more fidgety, continuously fiddling with a

hole in his jeans pocket. Rowan frowned.

"Hey, you alright?" she asked him as Blaise led the way to the bar.

Draco nodded stiffly. "Just haven't been sleeping well."

Rowan smirked, slinging her arm around his shoulder. "Hey, that's _my_ line."

"You're not the only one with sleeping problems, Rowan," Draco snarled, shaking his cousin's

arm off.

The blonde's eyes narrowed and the pupils dilated before the eyes turned a steely grey. "Are you

mad because I blew Snape off or something?"

Draco snorted. "Snape needs to mind his own business." He gave Rowan a sharp look. "Kind of

like you."

Pansy, sensing the tension between them, pulled Draco to the side and swiftly ordered a butter

beer for them both. Rowan was fuming, and tensed when she felt a reassuring hand on her

shoulder. She turned her head and saw Blaise standing slightly behind her with a weak smile on

his face.

"Hey, don't worry about him. He's been in a crabby mood all day. Just forget about him."

"Has he told you what's wrong?" Rowan demanded. She wondered why she felt concerned for

her brat of a cousin at that moment.

Blaise shook his head. "No. He's been kind of distant the past few days, and I've heard him

tossing and turning at night. Kind of like you over the summer when we had to share a room.

You seem to have gotten better, so hopefully his night fusses will stop soon too."

"Heh," she snorted. "They never stopped. Trust me."

Back at the castle, Harry was nervously approaching the entrance hall with Seamus by his side.

"He wanted me to come alone," Harry hissed at the Irishman.

"Don't worry, as soon as we get to the meet spot I'll split off and head to The White Rabbit by

myself. You'll have Mike all to yourself," Seamus smirked, winking. He then sighed. "And stop

messing with your shirt. I worked hard on your outfit."

"My outfit was perfectly fine the way it was," Harry sniffed.

Seamus just gave him a look. "Whatever you say, Hermione," he finally muttered.

Harry shot him a dirty look that abruptly disappeared when they rounded the corner and found

themselves in the entrance hall, parallel to Mike's group. Harry swallowed the sudden lump in

his throat.

There he was. Harry's future boyfriend.

Seamus nudged him forward just before Mike looked up, his face splitting into a grin when he

saw Harry. There was something a little different about Mike's smile this time. Harry shook his

head to clear it and walked over to the group, trying to appear casual. His insides were anything

but. His stomach twisted into knots and butterflies had come to roost in his heart.

"Hey," Mike greeted, Dirk Smith turning around to look Harry up and down.

"Hi," Harry said shyly.

"You look really nice," Mike complimented.

A blush formed on Harry's cheeks.

"Who's your friend?" Dirk interrupted.

Seamus stepped closer to the group, hands up, palms out as if he was surrendering. "I just caught

Harry in the hallway and we decided to walk together. I'm heading to The White Rabbit,"

Seamus lied lightly.

"That's where we're heading," Mike said coolly.

"Oh really?" Seamus asked. He acted as if Harry hadn't told him, grudgingly, ten minutes ago.

"Huh. What a coincidence."

"You're welcome to join us," Mike offered.

Seamus smiled but shook his head. "No, thanks. I like to fly solo when picking up hot bucks," he

said, smiling wickedly.

Dirk gave him a funny look and let a snort escape his nose.

Seamus winked at them before walking past the excitedly chattering group and out the doors

into the sunset.

Harry looked around him. In the group there were quite a few boys, and about the same number

of girls.

They were all in older years, from all sorts of Houses, except Slytherin House. That wasn't odd

considering the Slytherins kept to themselves; and it wasn't like the other Houses really wanted

them around anyway. Most Houses hated the Slytherins.

"Your friend is rather…..forthcoming," Mike said tentatively.

Harry smiled. "Yeah, Seamus is pretty out there. He's a good guy though."

"Well, shall we get going then?" Mike asked huskily.

Harry nodded eagerly, his smile turning sheepish. He followed the group outside, finding himself

walking beside Mike with Dirk a little ahead of him. The moment felt so right, although Harry

would have preferred it was just him and the Ravenclaw. But it was perfect enough, and that

was all that mattered.

Rowan sipped her butter beer, cracking her back experimentally. She felt a little stiff from

sitting on a bar stool watching everyone dance. Her eyes drifted to the entranceway, and her

eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw who walked in the door.

"Bloody hell," she breathed. 

The boy looked in her direction and when he spotted her, he waved like a maniac. You would

have thought they were the best of friends. But the truth was, Rowan barely knew the boy, and

she was positive he knew even less about her.

He trotted over to her, wavy blonde hair flying. He threw himself into the bar stool next to hers

and beamed at her.

"Hello Rowan," he said pleasantly.

"Seamus," Rowan greeted cautiously. "Fancy seeing you here."

"I felt like going on the hunt," the Gryffindor said with a mischievous wink. "And you? You look

very nice by the way. Very sexy."

Rowan felt herself blushing. "You're gay right?" she blurted out. She hurriedly covered her

mouth in shock, saying, muffled, through her fingers, "Sorry."

Seamus laughed. Really laughed. He had a nice, hearty, honest laugh. It was refreshing.

"Yeah I'm gay. But that doesn't mean I don't recognize when a girl is sexy." He winked at her

again.

Rowan slowly let a smirk creep onto her lips. "Well, since _I'm_ into guys, I can tell when _they_ look

sexy too. And you look very nice."

He smirked back at her. "Why thank you."

Rowan burst out laughing, Seamus soon joining her. They collapsed on each other, clutching

each other as they guffawed.

When they had calmed down, Seamus straightened in his seat and, wiping a tear out of his eye,

asked, "So where's Draco and the gang? I never see you without them."

"They're out on the dance floor somewhere. And Blaise was here with me, but he went to the loo

and-,"

Rowan paused, noticing that Seamus was staring intently toward the entrance. A group had just

entered the club. Among them, unmistakable by his glasses and messy hair, was Harry Potter.

"Wow. He cleans up nice," the Slytherin girl said thoughtfully. "I didn't peg him for the type to

hang out with _that_ group." She eyed Dirk Smith in particular, a shiver running up her spine when

she saw him scour the dance floor with his eyes. Her eyes eventually shifted to Mike Truce.

Seamus looked at her with a frown. "What do you mean?"

Harry felt excited. At least, until he saw who was sitting across the room, obviously looking at

him: Seamus and the new Slytherin girl, Rowan. She was Draco Malfoy's cousin, although to

Harry they looked nothing alike. He swallowed the lump in his throat that had suddenly

appeared due to his nervousness.

All of a sudden he felt Mike's arm around his waist. Harry tensed slightly and looked up at the

brunette and forced a smile.

"Hey, you okay?" Mike asked quietly.

"Um, yeah. It's nothing," Harry lied.

The group migrated to the dance floor, quickly clearing a path as they charged past other

dancing couples. Harry thought he saw Draco Malfoy somewhere in the crowd, but when he

whirled around, the Slytherin was nowhere to be found.  
><em><br>You're being paranoid,_ he told himself. _Just because Rowan's here doesn't mean Malfoy is. She has her own _

_life….. Right?  
><em>  
>Harry took a deep breath to calm himself, opting instead to focus solely on Mike, who was<p>

trying to coax him into a simple two-step. Harry smiled a little and clumsily tried to follow

Mike's instructions.

Mike laughed heartily. "Okay, you don't have to swing your hips so much- Just go with the beat

of the music. There you go, you got it!"

Harry's face split into an honest, happy grin. Mike was pleased with him. That made him happy.

The Gryffindor began to feel an intoxicating high from the sheer confidence the group exerted.

They danced wildly with little to no regard to the people around them; they knocked into

dancers too stupid to move, and those clubbers that were smarter quickly moved away from

them. The music was starting to affect Harry too, and he soon forgot all about people seeing him

with Mike. That intoxicated him further.

The next song was fast-paced and provocative. Harry suddenly felt ill at ease, his green eyes

gazing up at Mike shyly. The look in Mike's eyes made him freeze, yet grow unreasonably warm

at the same time.

Harry stepped closer to Mike, warily avoiding the frenzied group, and reached up to place a

gentle kiss on Mike's lips. The Ravenclaw responded automatically. His kissing style was

different from what Harry had been expecting. He had thought Mike would be a gentle, yet

enthusiastic, kisser. But instead Mike was calm, cool even, and kissed Harry with a lazy drawl.

When they pulled apart Harry looked up at him sheepishly.

"Sorry," he said quickly.

Mike's brow furrowed. "What are you apologizing for? I liked it."

Harry blushed. "It's just…. Well, I guess I'm just not that experienced is all. Especially

with…guys."

Mike smiled at him and put his hands on Harry's shoulders, letting them slide down to Harry's

waist. Mike pulled him unbearably close.

Harry gasped in surprise, biting his lip as Mike began to move to the music. While the first

dance had been soft and casual, this one was hot and steamy.

_If he's half as good in bed as he is with dancing…._ Harry's thoughts trailed off as Mike kissed him again,

this time with tongue. Everything was going so quickly for Harry, but he enjoyed every second of

it: the feeling of Mike's tongue moving along his; Mike's hands tightly gripping his slim waist;

the heat radiating from Mike's body….. Harry enjoyed it all.

Mike wrenched his mouth away from Harry's, panting heavily. His cheeks were bright red,

Harry's own cheeks mirroring his. Mike stared intently down at Harry again, making the

younger boy uncomfortable. He shifted and looked over his shoulder.

"I'm, er, going to go to the bathroom real quick," Harry said.

"Okay," Mike said. "I'm going to go get us some drinks."

Harry weaved his way through the other dancers to the far wall where a bathroom sign hung. As

he made his way over to the bathrooms his old fears of being discovered returned. He kept his

head down and tried his best to hide his scar until he was in the clear.

Harry didn't actually have to use the restroom, but he spent a few minutes staring at his

reflection in the mirror, trying to calm himself. He knew what was going to happen tonight with

absolute certainty: he was going to lose his virginity. The way Mike had been looking at him had

said it all. Not that Harry was upset about it. He was excited, rather. He knew Mike would be

gentle and caring. He trusted the older boy.

So when he left the bathroom, he was determined to let Mike have his way with him. Harry

found the Ravenclaw waiting for him on the dance floor, two oddly shaped glasses in his hands.

Mike handed a twisted glass filled with amber liquid to Harry, smiling at Harry's perplexed

look.

"It's supposed to be pomegranate mango. I didn't know what you like, so I just got something

that sounded pretty good."

"Thank you," Harry said. He cautiously took a sip, and then another. It wasn't half bad.

The two boys had a few more gulps of their drinks before setting them aside on a nearby table,

and then Mike pulled Harry deeper onto the dance floor. Harry could tell Mike was eager just by

the way he gripped his hands.

Harry danced a few more dances before he started to feel really anxious. He had never been a

patient teenager, and these teasing grinds were starting to fray his patience. Mike seemed to

sense this for he leaned down and whispered in Harry's ear: "You want to get out of here?"

Harry nodded hesitantly, suddenly unsure of himself.

"I'm a virgin," he told Mike, blushing fiercely.

A look came into Mike's eyes, one different than before. It sent uncomfortable chills down from

Harry's head to his feet. But the look was gone in an instant, convincing Harry he had imagined

it.

Mike led Harry by the hand to the exit, not even bothering to tell all of his friends goodbye. Dirk

saw the pair hastily leaving and merely nodded at Mike, who returned the nod with a short

wave. Harry looked over his shoulder and saw that Rowan and Seamus were still talking at the

bar.

"A WHAT?" Seamus demanded.

Rowan winced slightly, feeling a headache beginning to form behind her left eye.

"A lot of upper classmen are doing a "fuck contest" to see who can bang the most people in about

one week."

"A _fuck contest,_" Seamus said with disgust. "But what does that have to do with Harry?"

Rowan shrugged. "He came in with Dirk Smith and his gang. They're all participating in the

contest."

Seamus went red. "Is Mike Truce in the contest?"

"I'm not sure, but I think so- Seamus, what the hell?" Rowan screeched when the Irishman

jumped off his stool and went straight for the door. Rowan quickly followed him, grabbing his

arm and pulling him back just before he ran into a waiter carrying several drinks on a tray.

"Are you out of your mind?" Rowan hissed. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

"Harry just left with Truce!" Seamus snarled. "Let me go!"

"What exactly do you plan to do once you leave here?" Rowan insisted. "They could be

anywhere, and you don't even know if Mike's in the fuck contest. You'd be wasting your time."

"I can't just let him go! I can guarantee you that Harry doesn't know Truce's in that sick- that

sick-,"

"You don't know he is either," Rowan told him.

Seamus stared at her resolutely. "Look, I'm going to go find Harry. You can come with me or

stay here. Your choice, but you have three seconds to let go of my arm."

Rowan was just as stubborn, but she complied to what Seamus asked: she released his arm in

favor of grabbing hold of his shirt collar and proceeded to drag the Gryffindor onto the dance

floor.

"Let go of me!" Seamus fumed.

"Oh shut up," Rowan ordered.

Dirk Smith was in front of them, dirty dancing with some slutty brunette. Rowan rolled her eyes

and spun Dirk around abruptly while she still held on to Seamus' collar.

"What the-," Dirk began angrily.

"Save it, dickwad," Rowan drawled. Dirk's eyes widened, as did Seamus'. Rowan was normally a

quiet, kind girl, but in that moment she was so commanding that she had the infamous Malfoy

bitchiness. If Seamus was straight he would have found it sexy. It was obvious Dirk did.

"What do you want Rowan?" he asked in a low rumble.

"Where's the hotel you rented?"

Dirk's eyes transferred from Seamus to Rowan, then back again. "You can't be serious," he

snorted.

Rowan, realizing what was going through the Ravenclaw's head, rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not

going to fuck him. Did you give Mike the keys to your room?"

"Who wants to know?" Dirk smiled, crossing his muscular arms over his massive chest. The girl

he had been dancing with came to stand beside him, glaring fiercely at Rowan and Seamus,

annoyed at having her "lap dance" interrupted.

"I do, obviously, you dumb shit," Rowan snarled.

"Oh yeah, Mike's taking that Potter kid," one of Dirk's friends commented casually.

Dirk frowned. "I thought he was walking him home?"

The other kid shrugged.

Rowan exhaled a sigh of relief. "Mike's walking Potter home?"

"I guess so. I thought that's what he was doing," Dirk replied, still frowning.

"Thanks Smith," Rowan smiled. She then proceeded to steer Seamus back to the bar.

Seamus blinked a few times. "So, Mike's not…he's not…."

"Nope," Rowan said, and although she refused to show it, she was still a little uncertain.

"Oh thank Merlin," Seamus exhaled. "I was afraid I was going to have to kick that guy's ass."

Rowan chuckled darkly. "I would have helped."

Getting undressed was more awkward than Harry could have originally thought. Mike hurriedly

pulled Harry's shirt over his head, not even pausing to make sure Harry was still okay. Things

were going as fast as they had been on the dance floor, but this was more personal. Harry wished

Mike would go slower, especially since he was a virgin. But other than Mike's haste, he was

gentle. He soothed Harry's fears with chaste kisses on his neck and bared shoulders. Mike

undressed himself and while doing so instructed Harry to lie down on the bed. Harry hurriedly

complied, feeling Mike's eyes watching his every move, which only served to make him more

uncomfortable. This experience was not like what he had heard and read about how confidence

just naturally came to you during sex. He felt more nervous than he could ever remember being.

Mike soon joined him on the bed, a bottle of lube in his hand.

"This is going to hurt a little," Mike warned Harry, his voice husky.

Harry nodded stiffly. Mike began to distract him by kissing him forcefully, his tongue delving

into Harry's mouth, while he put a generous amount of lube on his fingers. He put one finger

inside Harry slowly. He didn't miss Harry's hiss of pain and responded by kissing the boy

harder.

More fingers were added and Harry was just beginning to get used to the feeling when they

were suddenly removed. Harry gave a grunt of discomfort at the roughness of the gesture. He felt

something much larger being lined up at his entrance and gritted his teeth as Mike peppered

kisses down his neck.

The intrusion of Mike's length was disconcerting, and _painful._ Harry couldn't believe how badly

it hurt. Tears rolled freely down his cheeks, and he was surprised that Mike didn't seem to

notice. Mike had seemed so attentive…..

Mike began to thrust in and out gently, but Harry still felt searing pain. He ground his teeth

together, willing himself to endure the pain. Eventually the pain melded into a dull ache and

then pleasure. He and Mike were gasping and moaning by the time they climaxed, Harry a little

before Mike.

As Mike pulled out, Harry let a happy sigh escape him and he tried to wrap his arms around

Mike's waist. He frowned as Mike pulled away and walked to the bathroom without a glance

behind him. His attitude seemed too cold to Harry: a knot began to form in his stomach that

suddenly made him doubt whether or not he'd done the right thing by losing his virginity to

Mike. The click of the bathroom door closing was an ominous noise to Harry. He worried his

bottom lip nervously, anxiety gripping him like an iron fist.

Harry rolled onto his back and stared at the grains in the wood ceiling. He felt ridiculous, lying

in a hotel room in god-knows-where, cold and alone in an unfamiliar bed, rapidly coming down

from his orgasmic high while the boy he lost his virginity to tidied up in the bathroom. Harry

exhaled loudly, running his hands over his face.

There was the turning off of the facet and Mike soon emerged from the bathroom. He had a

towel wrapped around his waist and another one hanging around his shoulders. His chest and

face gleamed like they had been recently washed, but his hair was still dry. A dull thump was

felt in Harry's chest as his heart ran cold.

Mike gave him an inquisitive look. "Are you okay?"

Harry didn't say anything for a moment, his emotions warring within him. The look on Mike's

face was one of concern, but his eyes were cold and maybe even calculating.

Before Harry could voice these thoughts there was a knock on the door. He and Mike shared a

look before Harry blushed and hurriedly went to wait in the bathroom. After the door shut Mike

narrowed his eyes and flung open the door. He had been expecting to see a maid or servant of

some sort but was surprised to see Dirk Smith in the hallway instead. Dirk looked nervous and

annoyed.

"What are you doing here?" Mike hissed.

"Is Potter in there?" Dirk demanded.

Both boys had changed completely. Mike seemed aloof and Dirk was oddly serious. They stared

at each other until Dirk pushed past Mike into the room, craning his neck to look around.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Mike snarled.

"I just nearly got punched in the face by one seriously pissed off Seamus Finnegan and Rowan

Malfoy. They were freaking out 'cause Potter's gone missing."

"He's not missing," Mike sneered. "He's here."

Dirk turned to face Mike. A smile slowly spread across his lips. "Wow. He didn't even say

goodbye to his friends: you guys must have been in a hurry. How many does that put you at

now?"

"Ten," Mike drawled, smirking.

Inside the bathroom, Harry was straining to make out what the other occupants of the hotel

room were saying. But when he did, he wished he hadn't.

"You know, I've only gotten seven girls. How'd you manage to sleep with _ten guys?_"

"Girls are stingy. Guys are so…..pliable," Harry heard Mike say. Ice flooded his veins. _What…._

"Where's Potter?" the other voice asked.

"In the bathroom," Mike replied easily.

"Can he-can he hear us?"

Mike laughed. "What do you care? It's never stopped you from blabbing before."

Harry numbly put on a spare bathrobe that hung on a hook attached to the wall next to the

shower. Before he knew what he was doing he flung the door open and stormed into the room.

He briefly registered that the other voice was Dirk Smith, Mike's best friend. He should have

figured it would be him.

"Is that what I am? Some sort of-of," Harry yelled, but then faltered. He felt tears well up in his

eyes.

Dirk looked taken back; Mike was completely calm, until he chuckled quietly.

"Come on Harry, you're not that stupid. Even you must have heard about our contest. You knew

exactly what you were getting into."

"What contest?" Harry demanded, his voice strained with the effort to not dissolve into tears.

Dirk's face was morphing from shock into horror. "You didn't_ tell _him?"

"You lied to me," Harry said quietly.

"Harry-," Mike began, throwing a glare at Dirk as he did so.

"Fuck you," Harry cried.

"You already _did_," Mike pointed out.

Harry didn't remember grabbing his clothes and dashing out the door, or getting changed in the

downstairs bathroom and tossing the bathrobe in a wastebasket with disgust; he didn't

remember punching Mike so hard in the jaw that he spat blood afterwards, or how cold the air

was as he ran back to the Hogwarts' castle.

He crawled into his bed in Gryffindor Tower, completely unaware of how he had gotten there.

Harry laid his head on his pillow numbly, his green eyes wide open and devoid of life. His body

ached from losing his virginity, but his insides were empty. Before sleep could even attempt to

overwhelm him, Harry jumped out of his bed and ran to the bathroom. The harsh white light

burned into his mind as he retched into the sink.

_'Fuck you.'_

_'You already did'_.

Harry closed his eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

No Such Thing

A/N: Hey guys I just wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that in the summary it states that there is an OC in this story. If you don't like OC stories, that's totally cool. However, this story contains an OC, and the OC will be showing up more and MORE. I'm also going to write a prequel and a sequel to this story, both of which will heavily contain my OC. If OC's don't float your boat then feel free to find another story but PLEASE don't send me reviews saying how much you hate OC stories. It's not cool and it's your fault for reading the story. And NO flamers. If I get flamers, I will find you and I will slap you.  
>Also, I'm having a hard time picking who Rowan will be dating in the later chapters. I would love to have your guys' feedback, so shoot me a review thingy. The people who Rowan can't possibly date are as follows: no girls; no Snape, or any of the professors; not any of the Malfoys (for obvious reasons); Blaise, Harry, Ron, and George are off limits. So give me some feedback! I'm begging you!<p>

Chapter Five

Pansy was chattering away on the way to double Potions on Monday morning, with Rowan

struggling to pay attention. The blonde was more apathetic than usual, her blue eyes glassed

over and roaming the hallways restlessly.

"And since Draco and I can't go together, I was thinking of asking MacNair. He seems like he'd

be a good date, right?"

Rowan looked at her. "Since when did we start talking about the dance?"

Pansy stopped in the middle of the hallway, crossing her arms and pushing her lips out in a pout.

"Rowan, have you been listening to me?"

"Er…"

"Rowan!" Pansy whined. "First Draco, now you! I'm starting to take this perso- Hey!"

Pansy looked affronted as another student roughly pushed past her, knocking her loose papers

to the floor in a jumbled mess. Rowan's head snapped up, glaring at the back of the offender's

head.

"Hey! You could at least say sorry!" she snarled as he continued to walk briskly away from them.

The boy's head turned, and the first thing Rowan saw was the lightning bolt scar on the

forehead.

Potter looked like shit. He looked as if he hadn't been getting enough sleep lately, and his skin

had taken an exhausted shade of off-white. His eyes met Rowan's for a moment, but he quickly

turned away and continued down the hallway to the dungeons.

Pansy exhaled slowly. "He looks terrible. I wonder what happened to him."

"No idea," Rowan said disinterestedly. _I have my own problems to worry about_, she thought as she

bent down to help gather Pansy's scattered papers. As they straightened up again Rowan saw a

younger year student walking toward her purposefully, a slip of paper in his hand. _Speaking of _

_my own problems_, Rowan thought as a dark scowl came over her features.

The younger Slytherin just cocked an eyebrow as he stopped in front of her. "Professor

Dumbledore wants to see you," he told her and handed her the slip of paper, which repeated the

same message.

Rowan felt annoyed at his condescending tone. She studied the kid for a long moment in which

an expression of exasperation came over the boy's own face and Pansy looked questionably at

her.

"Rowan?" Pansy asked.

"What year are you in?" Rowan asked.

"Fourth," the boy replied monotonously.

"Whatever," Rowan sighed. "You can go away now."

"Rowan!" Pansy exclaimed in surprise.

But the boy merely shrugged, obviously not upset at Rowan's bluntness. He gave her one last

look over before walking past her to meet up with a group of students. To the two girls' surprise,

the group was all Hufflepuff with the exception of one Ravenclaw boy who was obviously older

than the others, judging by how tall he was.

Rowan crumpled the slip of paper in her hand and glared at the floor. She didn't want to go. Not

today. She didn't want to keep reliving it, the betrayal. Her wounds were just beginning to heal

as the memories started to fade again. But at this rate, Dumbledore seemed determined to keep

all the pain fresh and bleeding.

"I wonder what Dumbledore wants you for," Pansy said thoughtfully.

"No idea," Rowan lied.

Pansy gave a sly smile. "Hmmm…."

"What?"

"Maybe he wants you to suck him."

Rowan choked on what little moisture she had left in her mouth. "_Excuse me?_"

"Oh it's a joke, Rowan, chill," Pansy said airily.

"It's not funny," Rowan glared at her friend. "Dumbledore's not like that. It's not even _close_ to

being funny. You have _no idea_…."

She stopped herself. Not only was she being unfair to one of her closest friends, but she really

didn't want to talk about _it_ with anyone. She hardly even talked to Draco, her own cousin, about

her past, and she certainly didn't want to talk about it to Dumbledore. Or Snape, for that matter.

Pansy backed down. "Hey, look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-,"

"No," Rowan interrupted, sighing heavily. "I'm sorry. It's not fair to be upset with you… Just,

don't joke about Dumbledore, okay? I respect him and…."

"I understand."

Rowan didn't know how she had gotten so lucky to have a friend like Pansy. She smiled warmly

and hugged Pansy tightly before heading to Dumbledore's office with an apologetic wave over

her shoulder.

"I'll tell Snape you're going to be late!" Pansy called.

"Thanks!" Rowan called back. 

Rowan knocked on the door to the office.

"Enter!" Dumbledore called merrily.

Rowan resisted the urge to roll her eyes and pushed the door open. The noise in Dumbledore's

office was a dull roar with hundreds of small whirring devices clamored around his desk. Rowan

cocked an eyebrow: the office had not changed at all since she had been in it last.

"Ah, Rowan, it's nice to see you. I trust you received my note?" Dumbledore smiled.

"Obviously."

"Have a seat please. I wanted to talk with you. Lemon drop?"

"Yes please," she grinned. She loved candy. Dumbledore had wasted nearly a whole bowlful of

lemon drops and licorice bits when she had first met him. Not that he had minded. He had been

rather alarmed at how thin Rowan had become over those few months since first moving in with

the Malfoys.

After Rowan had taken a small handful of candy, Dumbledore began questioning her:

"So how do you like your classes?"

"They're good. The teachers are nice I guess."

"Do you have a favorite class?"

Rowan had to think. She was fond of Transfiguration, because it came naturally to her even

though her classmates claimed it was difficult, and she was adept at Potions. And she didn't

mind Herbology or Astrology….

"I'm not sure," she responded. "I mean I-,"

"What is your favorite animal?" Dumbledore interrupted. He had an eager and almost childish

expression on his face. At Rowan's look of confusion he elaborated, " I have always been curious

about these sorts of things."

The Slytherin blinked and adjusted her ponytail before answering. "Er, I don't have one I think. I

like multiple ones, like stags and eagles and stuff."

"Hmmmm," the headmaster hummed. "I believe my favorite animal is a white tiger. If I remember

correctly, that was your father's patronus as well. He would repeatedly deny that he was a cat

person, but then….a person's patronus never lies."

"Oh really?" Rowan said coolly.

"I assume you're still not speaking to him?"

"No, none of my family."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Please forgive me, I was referring to Severus," Dumbledore corrected, a slight

frown turning down the corners of his mouth.

Rowan resisted the urge to sneer at the old man. "I see him during classes; I speak to him then."

"You still haven't forgiven him."

This time her lips pulled up into a menacing near-snarl. She glared at Dumbledore in such a

manner that her eyes seemed to glow.

"Ah… I suppose you've heard the phrase "Don't shoot the messenger"?" he inquired.

"Is that what you brought me here to ask me?" Rowan snapped.

"I wanted to make sure you were adjusting well. And I miss our friendly little chats."

"Well if you keep stoking the fire, this chat's going to get pretty _un_friendly in about two

seconds," Rowan growled. "I don't like Snape. I don't trust him at all."

Dumbledore folded his hands calmly and rested his aged chin upon them. "I trust Severus. I

would trust him with my life."

Rowan's anger began to slowly ebb away. She just grew tired and longed for the conversation to

be over.  
><em><br>"Just don't ask questions," she said._

_The boy frowned. "You sure you want to do this?"_

"_I thought I said no questions. I want this, end of story."_

_The boy shrugged and leaned forward, brushing his thin lips against hers._

She blinked. Where had _that_ come from? The memories had been popping up more and more

frequently. It was becoming a problem.

"Rowan?" Dumbledore called softly, bringing the Slytherin back from her memories.

Her eyes refocused on her friend. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"Give Severus a chance. I know he cares deeply for you."

Rowan left Dumbledore's office with that plea stuck in her mind. By the time she had reached

the corridor that led to the dungeons the bell had rung and students filled the hallways. She

headed instead to Transfiguration, her ghosts following her there.  
><em><br>I wonder where Potter is,_ Rowan thought absently, thinking back to the haunted look she had seen

in his eyes earlier. Her frown deepened.

Draco had saved her a seat in McGonagall's class, but hardly said a word to her when she came

in. His silence was enough to bring her out of her reverie as she studied him worriedly. He had

been so distant lately…. Taking a deep breath she stretched her fingers out uncertainly and

grasped Draco's hand. He started and looked down at their intertwined hands.

"I love you," Rowan told him quietly, her voice soft and unemotional. She hadn't said those three

words in a very long time and they felt foreign on her tongue. She knew she loved Draco: it was

simple, really. He was the only family she had anymore. The only problem was convincing her

mind that she loved him. She wasn't prepared to be broken again, but Draco needed to hear

those words from her as much as she needed to say them.

Draco squeezed her fingers. "I love you too." He meant it.

Rowan wasn't looking at him. Her blue eyes stared straight ahead, emotionless and lackluster.

"Good. Don't screw it up."

And then she held on to his hand as if for dear life and tried to not let the sudden tears escape. 


	6. Chapter 6

No Such Thing

Chapter Six

Harry stared up at the ceiling, counting the cracks in it. _I'm such an idiot,_ he thought, repeating it

like a mantra in his head over and over until his eyes began to swim. He hadn't felt this bad

about himself in a long time, probably when Ron had stopped being his friend in their fourth

year. And now Harry felt like he was losing everything, including his sanity. He felt so stupid, so

careless…..so _betrayed._ He had let Mike inside his walls, hell he had even let him _inside him_, and

now the boy had left him for dead. Figuratively of course. Harry had been the one to literally

walk away, but Mike had left him no choice. He lied. He _deceived_ Harry, making him think that

he loved him….

Harry rolled over onto his side. He could see his school bag and books at the foot of his bed,

untouched. He had been neglecting his homework of late, and he could tell his friends were

getting worried. He just didn't have the energy for anything anymore. He felt so worthless, and

the voice nagging in the back of his mind didn't help things. It constantly warned him that if he

stayed in his current state he would be more vulnerable to an attack from Voldemort, but Harry

couldn't bring himself to care. That apathy in turn made him feel guilty for being so careless, and

then Harry fell deeper into his own depression. It was a vicious cycle.

Harry felt tears about to fall from his emerald orbs and shut them hurriedly, unwilling to cry

anymore. It was too bad that crying was the only thing he ever felt like doing since that night

with Mike. He hated the other boy, but he hated himself more.

The door to the dormitory opened and Harry heard gentle padding headed toward his bed. He

then felt the bed dip as someone sat on it.

"Harry? Do you, um, want to talk about it?" Hermione asked. It hurt Harry to hear the concern in

her voice.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"You've been acting differently. Something's obviously wrong with you-,"

"I said nothing was wrong!" Harry snarled, turning to face Hermione. She looked like she had

just been slapped in the face. "And if it's so obvious how come you haven't figured it out yet?"

"Harry that's not fair!" Hermione cried, on the brink of tears. "I'm just worried about you!"

"Well you don't have to be. I'm fine," Harry mumbled and rolled back so he was facing away

from her.

"Fine!" Hermione fumed, standing up abruptly and hurrying towards the door. Despite how

angry she was, she still glanced back at Harry one last time before leaving and closing the door

softly behind her.

Harry groaned. _Great. Now I've chased off one of the only people who cares,_ he thought.

Sometimes he seriously wanted to strangle himself. With another groan, Harry rolled onto his

back and shut his eyes. There was nothing to do now other than sleep.

_In his dream, he followed along after Mike through a dark forest. It was like watching an _

_inevitable event as Harry watched the dream-Harry trot after Mike. Mike looked over his _

_shoulder to smile enticingly at Harry; however, while his teeth sparkled, his eyes were flat and _

_dead._

_They walked a little farther, during which dream-Harry looked over his shoulder at the real _

_Harry, dream-Harry's smile radiant. When dream-Harry turned back around, though, he found _

_that Mike was gone. He spun around in dizzy circles while the real Harry watched, a familiar _

_tightening in his chest beginning to form, and his eyes widened in horror when Ron and _

_Hermione suddenly materialized in front of him. Dream-Harry looked horrified and immediately _

_stopped spinning. The real Harry watched with numb panic as Ron stepped forward, his face _

_contorted in quiet rage._

_"You lied to me," he accused the dream-Harry._

_"Ron, I wanted to tell you guys, I did-," dream-Harry tried to explain._

_"You're gay!" Ron shouted._

_The dream-Harry erupted into tears, falling to his knees and Ron and Hermione dissipated._

_Dream-Harry was now alone._

_"I wanted to tell you guys," he whimpered._

Harry awoke, drenched in cold sleep. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, sitting up slowly and

resting on his elbows. Outside it was completely dark; Neville sat on his bed across from Harry,

looking terrified and wide-eyed as if he was afraid Harry might start yelling at him.

"Hey Neville," Harry said softly.

"Hiya Harry," Neville greeted cautiously. "Are you, uh, okay?"

Harry gave him a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm alright."

Neville shifted awkwardly on his bed, pulling at imaginary flint on his sheets, before speaking

again.

"You know, when I first told people, I was afraid I would be rejected. I was really scared to tell

my grandmum: I thought she would think I was a-a f-failure, but she was really proud of me for

telling her that I'm gay."

Harry fought to keep his jaw from dropping_. I'm not the only one?_ he thought.

"Neville….." Harry began, "why are you telling me this?"

The other Gryffindor blushed. "I-I….don't know. I just wanted to, I guess."

Harry smiled a genuine smile for the first time in days. "Well thanks mate. That….means a lot to

me."

Neville returned his smile and then got up. He headed for the door, grinning one last time at

Harry before slipping out the door and down the staircase.

"This is stupid," Rowan groused, throwing her quill down in frustration. She was currently

attempting to work on her essay for Transfiguration, but she was too irritated to do anything at

the moment. Near her workplace lay a letter from her father, the address written in green ink in

a messy scrawl which meant he was getting agitated. It had been at least six months since she

had last spoken to any of the family she had known for most of her life; since she had moved in

with Uncle Lucius.

And she had no desire to reconnect.

Half the time she spent thinking about her old family (which was more than she would ever like

to admit) was dedicated to wishing they would just leave her alone. And a small, miniscule

portion of the time was used by her wishing she could just forgive them.

But she knew she couldn't. They betrayed her in a way no one had ever done before. And Rowan

wasn't one to forgive and forget anymore.

The common room was empty since it was dinner time; Rowan was the only Slytherin not in

attendance.

"And what, may I ask, are you still doing here, Miss Malfoy?" a voice asked.

Rowan turned. "Hello Snape," she greeted with an icy glint in her eyes. Once she saw his stoic

face, though, her hostility faded slightly. She felt a little guilty for how she was treating him, but

there was something else too. He made her feel….at ease. At least a little. This was also

something she didn't want to admit. She didn't know why his calm, blank face made her calm

down; perhaps it just reminded her of peaceful stone. Silent, unmoving, impenetrable stone.

He stalked closer to her and slid smoothly, yet stiffly, into a chair beside her. He surveyed her

work silently and cocked an eyebrow ever so slightly when he was done.

"This is for Minerva?"

"Yes," Rowan sighed. She loved Professor McGonagall and her no-nonsense attitude, but her

homework was torture.

"You will need to write…a lot…better if you wish to get a good grade from her," Snape informed

her in his trademark halting drawl.

"Gee thanks professor," Rowan muttered, a smile tugging up the corners of her pink lips.

She retrieved her quill and was about to start writing again when she glanced at Snape: he was

staring at her with a slight frown on his lips.

"What? Do I have a booger or something?"

"No. It is just….that is the first time you have smiled in my presence," Snape murmured.

Rowan didn't know how to respond to that. She stared straight into his black eyes that had

been the first of the eyes in her new life to see her weak, to see her break down and cry.

"I never had a reason to," she told him.

The door to the Slytherin common room opened and Blaise stuck his head in.

"Ro, Seamus Finnigan is out here looking for you."

Rowan stood up immediately, concern etched on her pretty face. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know, he looks pretty pissed," Blaise shrugged. "You didn't steal his four-leaf clover did

you?"

"Very funny," the blonde snapped.

Blaise looked past her and his eyebrows rose when he saw Snape getting up to leave.

"Professor…..strange seeing you in the common rooms."

"He was just saying hi," Rowan explained as she hastily through her cloak over her shoulders

and pushed past Blaise on her way out.

Snape and Blaise watched her leave, the latter with some amusement.

"You know, she's too nice for her own good," Blaise commented. Snape remained silent, but

glanced at Blaise briefly.

Outside in the corridor Rowan spotted Seamus pacing and worrying his left thumb angrily.

"Seamus…," Rowan began, "what's wrong?"

The Gryffindor faced her.

"We have a problem. A big bloody problem." 


	7. Chapter 7

No Such Thing

Chapter Seven

Rowan was confused. "What are you talking about?"

Seamus didn't answer her, choosing to pace the length of the corridor instead. Rowan quickly

ran through the list of "wrong" things that could possibly affect her: well, for starters, there was

her estranged family making a surprise visit, although that was highly unlikely; Uncle Lucius

was in the hospital; her grades had dropped to an all-time low; or, maybe…..Dumbledore had

spilled all her dirty little secrets? But even he didn't know all of them, at least not for certain. He

had his theories, but Rowan hadn't confirmed any of them…

So the Slytherin watched the Irishman pace and mutter to himself in a furious manner, as if he

were arguing with himself.

Rowan was getting impatient. "So are you going to tell me what's going on or can I get back to

my essay?"

Seamus stopped immediately and whirled to face her. "We were right, that's what."

"Right about what?" she asked, confused.

The Irishman didn't answer directly: he shook his head, a grimace on his face, and said, "You

know, that little bastard is sitting up there, bragging to all his stupid friends-,"

"SEAMUS!" Rowan yelled.

Seamus stopped talking, his eyes wide with surprise. Rowan heard the door to the Slytherin

dormitory and soon heard Blaise's voice go, "Damn, I could hear you screaming from inside the

common room." He paused. "Should I go get Snape or do you have it under control?"

"I'm not sure yet," Rowan sighed. "I'm waiting for Finnigan to answer my questions. So, care to

start over?"

Seamus darted a glance at Blaise, and then motioned Rowan forward. She shot an exasperated

glance at Blaise, and gave a startled yelp when Seamus grabbed her hand and dragged her down

the hall.

"Seamus, what the hell?"

"Okay, so you remember when we saw Mike Truce and Harry at the club?"

"Yes…"

"Well, we were right about Mike."

"We- Oh," Rowan said, the truth dawning on her. "Oh god."

"Yeah, and now the prick is bragging about his conquest upstairs in the Great Hall to that piss-

face Dirk Smith and his buddies."

"Okay…..and where are we going?"

Seamus didn't answer, but Rowan had a pretty good idea. He led her through the winding

corridors until they reached the entrance hallway, and then, the Great Hall. . It was an hour after

dinner began, and most students had left earlier, as had the staff. Rowan immediately

spotted Mike Truce at the Ravenclaw table, surrounded by a group, guys and girls both.

Seamus finally released her arm, and moved toward the crowd.

"Seamus-," Rowan began in a warning tone. "Seamus, this isn't our fight! SEAMUS! HEY!"

The Irishman ignored her and continued to walk briskly toward Mike.

"OI, Truce!" Seamus yelled.

The brunette turned toward him. "Yes?" he asked with a furrowed brow.

"What the hell is your problem?"

The group surrounding Mike immediately quieted. Dirk Smith looked a little pale, his

expression guilty.

"Watch your tone, Finnegan," Mike snarled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh you don't, huh? How about how you can't keep your mouth shut about your little adventure

with Harry the other night?"

Sniggers rippled through the group, but were effectively silenced at Seamus' death glare. That

look didn't quell the rebellious stares, though.

"What Potter and I did is none of your business," Mike hissed, his eyes narrowing.

Seamus leaned forward until he was in Mike's face: "Oh, so it's Potter now? And for your

information, you made it my business."

"Go to hell," Mike snarled.

"You first," Seamus shot back.

"Alright, that's enough." Rowan suddenly appeared at Seamus' side and gently tugged him

backward.

"That's right, Finnegan, let your girlfriend save your dumb ass," one of Mike's posse crowed.

"Shut the fuck up," Rowan told him, which did quiet him. She fixed her gaze on Mike Truce,

who was watching her with a calculating look in his eye.

"He's not worth it," Rowan said firmly, yet quietly, so it was a wonder that Seamus heard her

over his panting.

"We're going to have to agree to disagree on that one, hon," Seamus growled.

"I don't need you getting expelled, dumb ass," Rowan shot back, her Slytherin tendencies

showing. "Let's go, Finnegan."

Seamus allowed himself to be taken away from the group and to be led out of the hall, when

Mike's voice stopped her:

"Such an unlikely pair, you two are: the Slytherin princess and the Gryffindor hag. Tell me,

Malfoy, has your uncle been arrested yet? I've heard some rumors floating around that he was in

charge of the break in at the Ministry last year."

Rowan bristled inside but tried not to let it show. She resumed leading Seamus away from the

Great Hall, under the watchful eye of the few remaining students. She was thankful that very

few people witnessed the altercation between Seamus and Mike. Rowan's head was spinning

in anger from what Mike had insinuated about Lucius, but there was nothing she could say to

defend her family. So her best option was to stay silent.

The next day, Harry began to notice the strange looks he was receiving through his haze of

depression. He slowed down a little on his way to Defense Against the Dark Arts and really

studied the people looking at him. In his faces he saw cruel bemusement, and in others he saw

pity and shame. It confused him and was beginning to make him a little paranoid.

He approached Professor Snape's classroom and saw Hermione standing there waiting for him, a

small smile on her face as she saw him. Ron was standing away from him with Dean and Neville,

glaring in the direction of the Slytherins. Harry frowned as he came to stand by his friend.

"What's up with Ron?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure." Hermione gave him a wobbly smile.

"'Mione?" Harry pressed. She knew more than she was letting on.

Hermione darted a glance at Ron and said nothing. Harry looked at the redhead across from him,

who seemed to be avoiding Harry's eyes.

"Whatever," Harry muttered, going inside the classroom. He could feel Hermione's worried gaze

boring a hole in his back, but kept walking. A few students milled around inside, but Snape was

nowhere to be seen. That was a very unusual occurrence, and it deepened Harry's puzzlement.

Some kids turned and stared at Harry with varying expressions, and it took Harry a moment to

realize they were all Slytherins. He was aware of that fact after he met the smirk of a Slytherin

boy with dark circles around his eyes and yellow teeth.

"What?" Harry snapped.

The Slytherin just puckered his lips in a ridiculous kissing fashion and then slid into his seat.

Harry rolled his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his anger, although it wasn't easy. He took

a seat at the desk in the back of the classroom, but then decided against it. Harry instead moved

to a desk in the middle of the classroom and then he laid his head down in the crook of his arms.

The door to the classroom opened and students began spilling in. Harry looked up in time to see

Professor Snape stalk to the front of the room, and then he heard the scraping back of chairs as

Ron and Hermione took their places beside him.

Harry looked at Ron. "You alright?"

"Fine," Ron said shortly, his eyes trained to the front of the classroom. Harry followed his gaze

and realized that the Malfoys weren't there yet.

The door opened again and Rowan came rushing in, her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and

flying behind her.

"Sorry," she muttered to Snape as she slid into her seat. Blaise threw a glance at Rowan that

seemed to say '_Where the hell were you?_'.

Snape threw a stack of papers on his desk; the class jumped.

"Your essays were less than dismal," he said shortly. "Those of you who received a passing grade

will be fully prepared to analyze today's specimens. Those who fail to do this correctly will be

given an F."

Snape waved his wand and the instructions began writing themselves upon the board. Students

began to rise to gather their supplies; still no Draco.

"Potter," Snape called.

Dread filled Harry. _Now what?_ he thought. He went to Snape's desk, sharing a glance with

Hermione as he went.

"Yes professor?" Harry questioned.

Snape looked up. There was an unreadable emotion in his eyes as he handed Harry a pass.

"The Headmaster wishes to see you. I suspect….that you'll be gone for the rest of the class period,

at the least, so you may take your things with you."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said slowly. He wasn't sure why Dumbledore wanted to see him , or why

Snape was being civil with him, but it couldn't be good.

"Maybe hell froze over," Harry muttered.

"Very funny, Mr. Potter," Snape told him.

Harry turned red. He hadn't meant for Snape to hear that. He quickly got his bag and his book;

Hermione stopped him.

"What's going on?" she whispered.

Before Harry could tell her, Snape interrupted. "Miss Granger, ten points from Gryffindor for

being a distraction. Mr. Potter, I believe the Headmaster is expecting you."

Harry nodded and hurried out the door.

_What the hell is going on today?_ he asked himself.


	8. Chapter 8

No Such Thing

A/N: Okay, so does anyone else want to kill Mike Truce? My friend, and creative-muse-stimulator-person-thing, keeps begging me to kill him. Sorry, Morgan, Mike's not going to get shot.

Chapter 8

Harry opened the door to the Headmaster's office after he had been given permission to enter.

He poked his head in. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, reading the newspaper calmly.

The old man looked up at Harry's uncertain pause.

"You wanted to see me, Professor Dumbledore?" he asked with some confusion in his voice.

Dumbledore's eyes had no sparkle in them when he smiled. "Yes, come in, my dear boy. I wanted

to have a word with you."

Harry entered the room further and shut the door softly behind him.

"Did something happen?" he asked. "Like to Siri- I mean, Padfoot? Are the Weasleys okay?"

Dumbledore motioned to the chair in front of his desk. "Take a seat Harry. I assure you, Sirius

and the Weasleys are quite well. There is nothing for you to fear."

Harry wasn't convinced. "Is it about Voldemort, sir?"

Dumbledore's gaze softened. "No, my boy. It's just about you."

"What about me?" the Gryffindor asked, puzzled.

"Something has….occurred that needs to be brought to your attention." Dumbledore paused, and

stared deep into Harry's eyes, as if he already knew the answer to his next question: "Are you

familiar with Mike Truce?"

Harry's eyes widened and he swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat.

"Why?" he asked instead.

Dumbledore gazed at him steadily and waited a moment to answer. "Mr. Truce has taken the

liberty of showing some of his friends a type of magical recording he made the other night."

Harry didn't like where this was going. Time seemed to slow down as Dumbledore said his next

words: "The recording had….you both in it at a local motel, and-,"

"Don't," Harry said, his voice strained. If he didn't hear the awful truth, he could pretend it

wasn't real. He had never imagined someone capable of doing something like what Mike had

done: videotaping him having sex with the Ravenclaw, without Harry's knowledge, and then

letting other people see it…..See how Harry cried out when orgasm hit him….. How love and trust

shined in Harry's emerald eyes as Mike took him…..

It was too humiliating. And to think that his teachers might have seen it…. He squeezed his eyes

shut to hide his tears, and turned his face away from him most trusted friend. But he had to

ask….he had to know…

"Did you…..did you see it?" Harry whispered brokenly.

Dumbledore's expression was sad. "Yes," he said quietly.

A sob shook Harry's shoulders, even as he forced the emotional tidal wave that was threatening

to swallow him down, deep down.

Rowan moved to the front of the classroom after the rest of the students had filed out, laughing

and joking with one another. Snape looked up as she approached.

"You knew, didn't you?" she asked quietly. "You knew about Potter."

He frowned. "How did you hear about that?"

"Just answer the question."

"Yes," Snape replied without emotion. "A few staff members were called into the Headmaster's

office to…..discuss what has transpired."

"What has _transpired?_" Rowan exploded. "He passed that-that, whatever the _hell_ it is –you're the

wizard, not me- around and spread it halfway across the school-! Him and Potter having sex-

and he just spread that damn recording-!"

"I understand that this is _difficult_ for you, given what happened to you," Snape interrupted,

fuming, "but there is nothing we can do at this moment."

Rowan was silent. She could find no words through the tears that threatened to overwhelm her

as she stared at her mentor's profile.

"What….._happened to me?_" she choked. "You knew? You _knew?_"

"You don't have to be ashamed," Snape told her gently.

"I-I'm-_not_, you, _you_ knew? All this time? And you-you think that _that's_ why I'm so upset? That's

what you really think?" Rowan demanded.

Snape remained silent, his face unreadable, but inside he was confused. He considered himself to

be fairly capable of reading people to a certain degree, but Rowan kept throwing him for a loop.

Just when he thought she and him were beginning to have some sort of friendship, he'd say

something that would send her recoiling back into her recesses. And what had happened to

Rowan…..he truly didn't think she should feel so guilty about it.

She was shaking her head, that icy glint present again in her eyes as she regarded him.

The professor groaned inwardly: all the progress he had made with her to _just trust him_ was

gone with that one conversation. He cursed himself.

Rowan nodded at him and left, without waiting for his reply. There was an angry bounce in her

step as she left and she didn't bother to close the door after she exited the room. Snape groaned

and sat down in his chair.

"Teenagers," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

_Smoke hung heavily in the air. Rowan couldn't breathe, but she pushed on anyway. She needed _

_to find him…..She had to prove __**her **__wrong. She couldn't let __**her**__ win. So Rowan shoved past _

_gyrating bodies that obscured her line of vision._

_There he was. Sitting calmly on the couch, an open –and full- bottle of beer in his hand. That _

_was a good sign: the fact that he wasn't drunk and wouldn't taste of alcohol when she kissed _

_him would make this experience slightly more enjoyable._

_He perked up as soon as he saw her. "Hey Rowan," he said, smiling. His dark skin stretched _

_charmingly across his high cheekbones._

_"Hello Stephen," Rowan returned with a grin. Just seeing him made her feel a little better about _

_that night's events._

_"Do you want a beer?" he asked, spinning his baseball cap around so that the bill was facing the _

_wall. She studied his sagging pants and oversized T-shirt for a moment, a smile tugging her lips._

_"No, thanks," she told him, still standing. She crossed her arms. "You look so G…"_

_He laughed, a warm, throaty sound. It soothed her ears._

_"And you look like a little white girl who lost her way," he chortled. "You in the hood, chica."_

_"Does that mean the invitation is no longer open?" she smirked._

_Stephen's expression softened. "Hey, you're always welcome 'round here, girlie."_

_Rowan smiled. "You got any soda around here?"_

_It was Stephen's turn to smirk. "Think you can find your way to the kitchen, girlie?"_

_"I don't know. I think you might have to help me."_

_He laughed again and rose out of his seat and motioned for her to follow him. They moved _

_through the crowded hallways of the two-story house. Rowan looked around. She was one of _

_the only white people there: the "guests" were mostly black, and a few Hispanics. She saw a few _

_people from school, but not very many. That fact didn't bother Rowan: she was on a mission to _

_see Stephen, not to discuss Monday's math assignment._

_They finally reached the kitchen and Stephen moved around two frantically kissing bodies to the _

_fridge._

_"Hey, Armando, take that outside, dude," Stephen snorted at one of the snogging people. He _

_winked at Rowan. "We have a lady in the house."_

_The one Stephen called Armando disentangled himself from the girl he had been ravishing and _

_looked at Rowan with a frown._

_"Yo, are you that girl this cholo keeps talkin' 'bout?" he asked._

_Rowan colored slightly._

_Armando continued, "You got him real bad, girl. He won't shut up 'bout how he'd like to tap that fine white ass-,"_

_"Get yo' punk ass outta here," Stephen shouted, swinging at Armando._

_Armando ducked, grinning madly, and pulled his girl out of the kitchen with him. As they_

_passed her, Rowan recognized the girl._

_"Hey Laura," she greeted, frowning._

_Laura's innocent blue eyes widened as she saw Rowan._

_"Uh-h-hey, Rowan," she stammered, silently pleading with her eyes to keep their meeting a _

_secret._

_Rowan nodded at her, agreeing to the smaller girl's silent plea._

_Stephen saw their exchange and he furrowed his brow._

_"What was that about?" he asked._

_Rowan shrugged. "She goes to my school. She got kicked out of the house because her dad _

_caught her kissing a black guy, and he showed up at the school the other day asking her to come _

_home."_

_"Her dad did?"_

_She nodded. "Yep. If I was Laura, I wouldn't go back either."_

_Stephen was quiet and handed Rowan her soda._

_"Does yo' daddy have a problem with black dudes too?" he asked finally._

_Rowan looked at him. "Yeah," she told him. "But he's not here right now, and I don't need his _

_permission to do this."_

_And she leaned forward, capturing Stephen's lips in a kiss._

Rowan stared at herself in the mirror of the girls' lavatory, her face dripping from the water she

had splashed on her face in an attempt to flood the memory away.

"After all this time," she whispered, but then stopped. She didn't need to finish her sentence to

understand that even though it had been months since she had last seen Stephen, that that night

still haunted her. It was her own damn fault though. She had asked for it, and Stephen had

delivered.

The memory hadn't completed itself, but Rowan had no desire to finish it. She didn't need to be

an emotional wreck the rest of that day. Her fingers danced on her lower abdomen nervously;

she decided to splash her face again.

Rowan grabbed a towel and dried her face slowly, her blue eyes peering at her reflection from

over the fabric. She swallowed.

"Get over it, Rowan. It's over and done," she told herself firmly. Her eyes seemed to close as if

from their own accord.

"_I understand that this is _difficult_ for you, given what happened to you…."_

"_What…..happened to me?" she choked. "You knew? _You _knew?"_

"_You don't have to be ashamed," Snape told her gently._

"_I-I'm-not, you, you knew? All this time?"_

She straightened up and left the bathroom with a self-assured step in her shoes. That is, there

was until she saw Ronald Weasley flying toward Blaise down the hallway.


End file.
